Uzbekistan hosts policy dialogue and WHO course on health financing reform
Accelerating its health system transformation, Uzbekistan hosted a High-Level Policy Dialogue and WHO Barcelona Course on Health Financing for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) tailored to the country context. The event is organised by the World Health Organization and...
Irish Government publishes Path to UHC Programme 2025+
The new government administration in Ireland, elected at the end of 2024 recently published their plan for continuing on the path to UHC. In 2017, the ten-year Sláintecare health plan was launched. This plan update builds on findings from previous progress...
Uganda doubles health allocation to 1.5 billion USD in FY 2025/26 Budget
Uganda has nearly doubled its health sector allocation to USh 5.87 trillion in FY 2025/26, aiming to strengthen service delivery, address health worker shortages, and upgrade medical infrastructure.Uganda has announced a significant increase in its health sector...
China never had free healthcare before its market reforms
The perception of a universal "free" medical care system in China's planned economy era is largely a myth, as most urban healthcare costs were covered by state employers while rural populations had almost no insurance or access to medical resources. Government surveys...
Philippines strengthens push for universal health care through UHC Act
The Philippines advances its Universal Health Care goals with automatic insurance for all citizens under PhilHealth, while tackling infrastructure and digital health challenges. The Philippine government is ramping up efforts to implement the Universal Health Care...
Panamanian Social Security reform includes unification of health care system
Panama initiated political dialogue on the reform of the social security system. The reform includes health and the unification of the Social Security Fund with the Ministry of Health. This will facilitate the financing of benefits, the purchase of joint medicines and...
ADB to help Uzbekistan establish public-private partnerships to manage 5 specialized hospitals
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will support Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Economy and Finance in implementing a public-private partnership program to manage five specialized hospitals in Tashkent, aiming to enhance healthcare quality and...
Unlocking investment for the transformation of Ukraine’s health-care network
Significant national and international funds offer Ukraine a chance to transform its health system by consolidating hospitals and expanding primary care. The Ministry of Health must urgently establish a strategic capital investment framework, align prioritization...
Challenging inadequate and fragmented primary health care financing: findings from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, and Nepal
Strengthening primary health care (PHC) is central to achieving universal health coverage in the WHO South-East Asia Region. This study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia and Health Policy, analyses PHC financing arrangements in Bangladesh,...
Reforming Bangladesh health systems for the future
Bangladesh's health sector faces urgent challenges as it approaches the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in achieving Universal Health Coverage. The Health Sector Reform Commission Report 2025 proposes significant constitutional amendments and systemic...
How can innovative financing options support health system financing for noncommunicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries?
As noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) place increasing strain on health systems in low- and middle-income countries, the need for sustainable financing solutions is more urgent than ever. With development assistance stagnating and domestic budgets stretched thin,...
Health insurance programme to be restructured amid effectiveness concerns
The Nepalese government plans to restructure the national health insurance program to improve its effectiveness and sustainability, emphasizing stricter enforcement of the Health Insurance Act and raising the benefit cap for insured individuals. With Rs 10 billion...
The case for investment in tobacco control: lessons from four countries in the Americas
This study in the Pan American Journal of Public Health from 2022 explores the case of investing in tobacco control in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Suriname. Health taxes, for example on tobacco products, are considered opportune for both reducing unhealthy...
Implementation of Taxation on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages by the Government of Barbados
This 2016 policy brief produced by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (with the support of the NCD Alliance) provides an overview of the approaches used by the Barbados Ministry of Finance in the adoption of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation.
Caribbean & Central America knowledge exchange to reform health financing
Caribbean and Central American senior health officials met in Washington D.C. in June 2023 to discuss health financing and explore ways to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Country leaders, health officials, policymakers, experts, and...